Cyrus emerged as a teen idol as the title character in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana (2006–2011), which evolved into a commercially successful franchise.

She then dabbled in experimental music on Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), embraced country pop on Younger Now (2017), and delved into rock genres on Plastic Hearts (2020).

On television, she was the subject of the documentary Miley: The Movement (2013), led the miniseries Crisis in Six Scenes (2017), served as a coach on two seasons of The Voice (2016–2017), and starred in the "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" episode of Black Mirror (2019).

Outside of entertainment, Cyrus founded the non-profit Happy Hippie Foundation in 2014, which focuses on the LGBTQ community and youth homelessness, and was supported by the web video series Backyard Sessions (2012–2023).

[85] Cyrus released her final soundtrack as Hannah Montana that October; it was seen as a commercial failure due to its low position on the charts compared to her previous albums.

[90] She embarked on her worldwide Gypsy Heart Tour in April 2011 which had no North American dates;[91] she cited her various controversial moments as the reason, claiming that she only wanted to travel where she felt "the most love".

[182] On September 15, she performed "Malibu", "Younger Now", "See You Again", "Party in the U.S.A." and a cover of the Roberta Flack hit "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (written by Ewan McColl) for the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

[183] On October 2, as part of her one-week regular musical appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Cyrus sang her 2009 hit single "The Climb" for the first time since 2011 alongside a cover of "No Freedom" by Dido to honor the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

[196][197] Cyrus's other covers include her version of Ariana Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry" for BBC Radio's Live Lounge, her participation at the Chris Cornell tribute concert I Am The Highway, where she sang "As Hope & Promise Fade" as well as her cover record of Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", included in the tribute album Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

[212] A music video was released in September 2019 that contained further references, including a ten of hearts playing card at the bottom of a pool to represent the end of her decade-long relationship with Hemsworth.

[213] On August 14, 2020, Cyrus released the lead single from her seventh studio album, "Midnight Sky" and confirmed the cancellation of the EPs She Is Here and She Is Everything due to major recent changes in her life that did not fit the essence of the project, including her divorce from Hemsworth, and the burning of the couple's house during the Woolsey Fire in California.

[245] Emily Swingle of Clash gave acclaim to Cyrus's versatile vocals, saying her "voice is truly a force to be reckoned with, seamlessly fitting whatever genre she chooses to tackle.

[292] On October 20, Dolly Parton released a rock re-recording of "Wrecking Ball" featuring Cyrus as a guest vocalist, as the final single of her studio album Rockstar (2023).

[307][308] Cyrus performed covers of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Nothing Compares 2 U" with Brittany Howard, and "Flowers" on SNL50: The Homecoming Concert and Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special in February 2025.

[315] She has also cited artists such as Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Dolly Parton, Timbaland, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Joan Jett, Lil Kim, Shania Twain, Hanson, OneRepublic, and Britney Spears as influences.

[342] Inspired by pop and dance-pop, Endless Summer Vacation (2023) "feels like a recap of her career's 15-plus years, with Cyrus breezing through genres with the ease of a well-seasoned tourist.

[347] Cyrus became the subject of media and public scrutiny following her performance of "We Can't Stop" (2013) and "Blurred Lines" (2013) with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

And one group stands out in [her] mind as deserving of most of the blame: 'It can't be like this 70-year-old Jewish man that doesn’t leave his desk all day, telling me what the clubs want to hear.

[386] In 2020, she said on The Joe Rogan Experience that she had to switch to a pescatarian diet after suffering from omega-3 deficiency: "I've been a vegan for a very long time and I had to introduce fish and omegas into my life because my brain wasn't functioning properly.

[442] In July 2009, Cyrus performed at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's 20th annual Time for Heroes celebrity picnic[443] and donated several items including autographed merchandise, and a script from Hannah Montana for the Ronald McDonald House Auction.

[455][456] In February 2010, she donated several items, including the dress she wore to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, and two tickets to the Hollywood premiere of her film The Last Song, to raise money for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

[467] In 2012, Cyrus released a cover version of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" with Johnzo West for the charity Amnesty International as a part of the album Chimes of Freedom.

[487] Happy Hippie encourages Cyrus's fans to support causes including gender equality, LGBTQ rights and mental health through awareness campaigns and fundraising.

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Happy Hippie encouraged its Instagram followers to seek out VoteRiders for assistance ensuring that gender identity would not affect their right to vote.

[496][497][498] Bickford stated Hannah Montana adopted a business model of combining celebrity acts with film, television, and popular music for a pre-adolescent audience.

[499] Morgan Genevieve Blue of Feminist Media Studies stated the series' primary female characters, Miley and her alter ego Hannah, are positioned as post-feminist subjects in a way their representation is confined to notions of femininity and consumerism.

[502] In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked Cyrus as one of the top 25 teen idol breakout moments of the rock era, which Andy Greene wrote: "Miley's rise was meteoric.

[508] In 2013, an online petition on the White House's "We the People" petitions website was urging then-president Barack Obama to change the U.S. national anthem from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to "Party in the U.S.A."[509][510] Following the 2020 presidential election, as major news outlets announced Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of the presidential race, on November 7, 2020, supporters in New York City started singing "Party in the U.S.A." at Times Square.

Likewise, she defends Cyrus's controversial rebellion, highlighting that behind the character there is a human, talented and strong person who manages to connect with the public, just like the "Queen of Pop".

[537] Artists that have cited Cyrus or her work as inspiration or an influence include Chappell Roan,[538] JoJo Siwa,[539] Lea Michele,[540] Lil Nas X,[541] and Troye Sivan.